17 Historically Inaccurate Movies That Are Practically Fiction

1. Amistad 1997，IMDB Rating: 7.3, IMDB Votes: 83401, ID: 0118607
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Steven Spielberg directs Amistad, a visually stunning historical drama that tells the story of the 1839 uprising aboard the slave ship Amistad and the ensuing legal proceedings. The movie follows the tragic journey of the Mende captives, led by Cinque, as they fight for their freedom after being sold into slavery. Anthony Hopkins as John Quincy Adams and other important characters are involved in their cause.
2. Pocahontas 1995，IMDB Rating: 6.7, IMDB Votes: 204772, ID: 0114148
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Disney’s Pocahontas is a visually stunning animated film that fictionalizes the encounter between Pocahontas, a Native American woman, and John Smith, a British colonist. The story follows Pocahontas’ relationship with nature, her people, and the European colonists. Although it strays heavily from historical accuracy, it creates a captivating and entertaining story with vivid animation, iconic characters, and a memorable soundtrack.
3. Shakespeare in Love 1998，IMDB Rating: 7.1, IMDB Votes: 235377, ID: 0138097
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Shakespeare in Love is an engaging romantic comedy about the fictionalized love story between William Shakespeare, played by Joseph Fiennes, and Viola de Lesseps, a noblewoman with dreams of acting, played by Gwyneth Paltrow. The movie, which is set in Elizabethan England, takes creative liberties with historical facts, but the film’s witty dialog and engaging performances are captivating.
4. 300 2006，IMDB Rating: 7.6, IMDB Votes: 870589, ID: 0416449
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Zack Snyder’s 300 is a visually stunning re-creation of the Battle of Thermopylae, focusing on the legendary story of King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan warriors against a massive Persian army. The movie portrays the Spartans as almost mythical figures, demonstrating their strength, discipline and bravery in the face of overwhelming victory.
5. JFK 1991，IMDB Rating: 8.0, IMDB Votes: 171482, ID: 0102138
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Oliver Stone directs JFK, a tense conspiracy thriller centered on the investigation into the assassination of President John F. Kennedy by New Orleans District Attorney Jim Garrison, played by Kevin Costner. The movie delves into Garrison’s belief that the official explanation for the event was a cover-up, offering a speculative interpretation of the historical event while exploring one of the most controversial moments in American history.
6. Braveheart 1995，IMDB Rating: 8.3, IMDB Votes: 1098868, ID: 0112573
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Mel Gibson’s Braveheart is an epic historical drama that tells the story of William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who led an uprising against English rule in the late 13th century. The film follows Wallace’s journey from personal tragedy to becoming a symbol of Scotland’s fight for freedom.The film’s depiction of events and characters, including the infamous ‘First Law of Darkness,’ is largely fictional. However, the film’s grand battle scenes and moving storyline make it an enduring attraction.
7. Pearl Harbor 2001，IMDB Rating: 6.2, IMDB Votes: 354212, ID: 0213149
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Michael Bay’s ‘Pearl Harbor’ is a dramatic retelling of the infamous attack, but it is marred by numerous historical inaccuracies. The film’s romantic subplot and exaggerated action sequences overshadow the real events. Despite its flaws, ‘Pearl Harbor’ delivers impressive visuals and emotional moments, making it an entertaining, if not historically precise, war drama.
8. Gladiator 2000，IMDB Rating: 8.5, IMDB Votes: 1641510, ID: 0172495
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Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator’ is a thrilling epic that takes considerable liberties with historical facts. The character of Maximus is fictional, and many events are dramatized for effect. Despite these inaccuracies, the film’s powerful performances, stunning visuals, and gripping storyline make it a modern classic that captivates audiences.
9. The Patriot 2000，IMDB Rating: 7.2, IMDB Votes: 296279, ID: 0187393
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Mel Gibson’s ‘The Patriot’ is a stirring Revolutionary War drama that is more fiction than fact. The film’s portrayal of events and characters, including the composite character of Benjamin Martin, is heavily dramatized. Despite its historical liberties, ‘The Patriot’ offers intense battle scenes and a heartfelt story of family and freedom.
10. Troy 2004，IMDB Rating: 7.3, IMDB Votes: 575572, ID: 0332452
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Wolfgang Petersen’s ‘Troy’ is a grand retelling of Homer’s ‘Iliad,’ but it takes significant creative liberties. The film condenses and alters many aspects of the epic poem for dramatic effect. Despite its deviations from the source material, ‘Troy’ delivers spectacular action sequences and a compelling portrayal of ancient heroism.
11. Alexander 2004，IMDB Rating: 5.6, IMDB Votes: 177410, ID: 0346491
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Oliver Stone’s ‘Alexander’ is a visually stunning but historically flawed epic. While the film captures the grandeur of Alexander the Great’s conquests, it takes significant liberties with historical facts, particularly in its portrayal of characters and events. The battle scenes are praised for their accuracy, but the film’s narrative often strays into dramatization, making it more fiction than fact. Despite its inaccuracies, the movie’s artistic direction and performances, especially by Colin Farrell, make it an engaging watch.
12. Kingdom of Heaven 2005，IMDB Rating: 7.3, IMDB Votes: 319699, ID: 0320661
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Ridley Scott’s Kingdom of Heaven is a visually stunning epic masterpiece centred on Balian of Ibelin, the story of Balian the blacksmith who became a key figure in the defence of Jerusalem during the Crusades. Although the film fictionalises and simplifies historical events, including an idealised portrayal of Balian and the conflict between Christians and Muslims, it excels in grand scale and cinematic artistry.
13. The Da Vinci Code 2006，IMDB Rating: 6.6, IMDB Votes: 461991, ID: 0382625
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Ron Howard directs The Da Vinci Code, a suspenseful film about Robert Langdon, a semiotician played by Tom Hanks, who discovers hidden clues in famous artwork and religious symbols. The plot revolves around secret societies and conspiracies involving the Catholic Church, and although critics have pointed out that there are historical inconsistencies in the film, especially in terms of religious history and Da Vinci’s work, the film’s intriguing mystery-solving process is still a page-turner.
14. Apocalypto 2006，IMDB Rating: 7.8, IMDB Votes: 333836, ID: 0472043
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Mel Gibson’s Apocalypse Now tells the apocalyptic vision of the Mayan civilisation. Despite the controversy surrounding the film’s presentation of the Mayan civilisation, the portrayal of human sacrifice and societal collapse in particular has been criticised for being inaccurate and the film’s confusion of the Mayan and Aztec cultures has led to a distortion of history. However, the film’s gripping narrative pace and excellent cinematography have made it still widely acclaimed.
15. 300: Rise of an Empire 2014，IMDB Rating: 6.2, IMDB Votes: 318021, ID: 1253863
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300: Rise of an Empire is about the Greek general Mistiklis, who led the Greeks against the invasion of the Persian Empire during the Greek-Polish War. The film focuses on the battle at sea, showing how Mistiklis united the Greek city-states against the Persian fleet. Historical details have been drastically altered, but the film won over audiences with its stunning action and visual impact.
16. The Imitation Game 2014，IMDB Rating: 8.0, IMDB Votes: 831527, ID: 2084970
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Morten Tydum’s The Imitation Game is a fascinating biopic, albeit with a number of changes to historical facts. The film tells the story of Alan Turing’s cracking of the German Enigma code, but the presentation of his life and work has been heavily dramatised. Critics have pointed out that the film incorporates fictional characters and plots that are somewhat at odds with real history. Nevertheless, it remains a thought-provoking and compelling film.
17. Bohemian Rhapsody 2018，IMDB Rating: 7.9, IMDB Votes: 600132, ID: 1727824
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Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody is an energetic and entertaining biopic about the rise of the legendary rock band Queen. However, some historical accuracy is sacrificed for dramatic effect. The film’s presentation of Freddie Mercury’s life and Queen’s rise to stardom suffers from many timeline and event inaccuracies, and in some ways downplays Mercury’s real life. However, it is still a must-see film for Queen fans.